Fevered Hide and Seek
by Tsuki Doriimaa
Summary: How does one deal with a sick Hiiro Yui? Well, I don't know. I'm prety sure the guys don't either. Besides dealing with a sick Hiiro Yui what effect does being sick HAVE on our beloved Mr. Yui? heh heh Come and see!


**Fevered Hide and Seek**  
By: Tsuki Doriimaa  
1-10-04 3-20-05 

_Disclaimer:_ We all know what I **can** and possibly do own (i.e. truck, DVDs, comp. Ect.) and what I **can't** possibly own. So I'm leaving it up to your intelligence, to know who owns what. Needless to say, all the songs used in this - I don't own!

_"-Lyrics-"_

. .  
**Fevered Hide and Seek**  
. .

"Where do they come up with this stuff?"

The words leave my lips on a whisper though I don't know why. I'm alone in a room; it's beginning to become a little warm. I think Winner has the heat on again... its really not that cool here this time of year. So I'm failing on seeing logic to why he does it.

Switching ports on the laptop, connecting to the wall and making sure I'm covered, I hunker down (that sounds like Maxwell's words) for however long I'll be allowed to sit here.

I'm not doing anything honestly, just flipping through some files to entertain myself. Contrary to everyone's beliefs and thoughts of what goes on - why I'm on this laptop so much... They'd be surprised to learn the truth.

I search the Web, all right?

You cannot honestly expect someone like me - Ares _anyone_ - to stay 'connected' to a laptop for so many hours of a day and still be doing the same thing they were when first starting. Granted, I supposed I appear to be hacking into OZ bases left and right... when I'm truly just surfing pages, looking around... After, having broken into the designated OZ base.

I may not have much of a personal liking of people... I hate large crowds... But I do attain something close to a 'life'... That's if you look over the "being a deadly terrorist" thing.

I shrug. Everyone has a fault somewhere... I just have a few.

No. I'm not perfect.

I'm not "The Perfect Soldier"... if I was... then that little girl and her dog, along with many others, would not have died because of my miscalculation...

This is something that haunts me every night in my dreams. To see her sweet face, hear the tiny barks of her dog - Mary... then the explosion... blood... rubble and bodies everywhere... But I can't find hers... only Mary's...

Strangely enough, with the dream (memory really), being as terrible as it starts off... the ending isn't so bad... Not really. I'm holding Mary, just walking... walking somewhere... Perhaps it was back to Doctor J's base? I remember taking her there with me after... But I'm not sure where I'm going, just walking away... away from the debris...

Then all a sudden, Mary twitches... I look down to see her little feet kicking as if she's chasing something in her dreams... Cocking my head to the side in, I suppose it was wonder, and confusion, I'm definitely confused by this because she should be dead... But I watch as Mary slowly stops... then her eyes open, peering up at me happily. She remembers me... I don't know how that's possible; however, I'm not really questioning things at the moment... It's a dream, anything can happen, ne?

As Maxwell would say - 'Sure 'nuff!' - seeing as how the next moment there's a shuffling sound behind me and I turn, eyes widening at the person standing before me as if nothing had happened at all. As if she'd just walked out of her house ready for the day of playing in parks and chasing her dog...

"Hello again" she says cheerfully. Mary lets out a happy bark jumping from my arms, hitting the ground and running to her mistress. The little girl scoops her up happily smiling widely. She stops then, her smile dimming just a bit as she watches me staring at her in a mix of emotions even I myself, cannot explain...

She starts walking towards me.

I'm on the ground now, stunned to my knees.

The little girl reaches me, her eyes very warm... tender... she touches my shoulder - her hand like a burning kettle that I welcome into my cooled world... and with that touch, she says quietly, as if no one else is supposed to hear her... "It's OK Onii-chan... we forgive you!" smiles and bounds off into the darkness surrounding us.

She forgives me? How can anyone forgive what I've done? So many lives lost... And one little girl of them all forgives me... However now stepping back to look at it you have to notice that she said "we forgive you"... meaning she was possibly speaking for the others that perished in my enormous blunder? Was it because I had met her that only she approached me with such a message?

I'm not a religious man by any means. I hold nothing to anything and therefore believe in nothing but my comrades and myself... My friends. Yet some part of my mind believes that, since I had met the little girl in life, that she might be the one to relay such a message to me if the others had truly forgave me. Though I do not understand how they could. Many lives were lost in my mistake. A mistake I promise, vowed, to never let happen again.

This is where people see me as the "Perfect Soldier", because I adamantly refuse to screw up another mission and have it go so wrong as it had then.

It. Will. Not. Happen.

Thus my dream is not so bad... Not really... But to remember that particular memory of watching the base explode, the mobile suit crashing into the living building... hurts.

Traveling to another site I smirk.

Of course if I were ever to tell Maxwell this... that would be the point in which he points out I'm human and in turn would receive a black eye with my monotonous reply of "Of course I'm human idiot! I breathe and think do I not?" Which does not honestly prove I'm human, but tell me another species that speaks something we can understand?

Thank you.

How else would I also be able to annoy him so much?

I can feel the smirk crossing my lips on this thought. It's not a smug smirk... All right so it is, but it's also a borderline smile. Thankfully no one else is in the room with me.

Of all the ways I could list to annoy the braided American... None other works as well as playing one song over and over and over again. For all his love of music of any gentry, he honest to Ares hates when one song is left to play over and over for longer then the appointed time said song should play before switching to a new one.

This is why I do it.

Speaking in monotone, ignoring him when he tries speaking to me... replying in "Hn" to his chatter... Does not truly compare to his ranting when you keep a song on repeat. His ranting is almost as amusing to watch as Chang sitting in Barton's lap cheering about "Justice being served"; they're both amusing.

You have to think small when doing this as well.

If you're using your laptop - as I do most times then not - then you're stuck in one area. Thus an easy target to locate and find.

This is what you want to avoid.

Unless you've more then one computer you can network and play off of from a single remote computer... for example: a laptop. A splendid slim computer you can literally take anywhere.

This will make you a harder target to catch. A most annoying one at that, for being able to keep switching songs on and off at will, unless your pursier is smart enough to know the only way to cut off such control (if he or she knows how it's being done to begin with) is to turn the computers off.

Maxwell took five weeks of "someone" annoying him to figure this little wonder out.

Very amusing. I'm sure if OZ knew of this little annoyance for the braided boy, they'd have better luck at getting Maxwell INTO they're base... On second thought I don't know if that would actually make him easier to catch or not...

Because as easy as that would possibly be to lure him into the base, seeking to turn the damn song off... or whatever they so choose to play... It would also stem to make him pissed. More so then usual. So I would have to imagine he'd fight harder then hell to find where the annoyance was coming from and terminate it.

Hn. It was a nice thought anyhow.

Hai, small, right...

I've upgraded my annoying of Maxwell.

He'd sure find a way to shoot me where it really hurt if he every figured out just how I had done this, and who was helping me.

You see. I've met his friend - father type person, Howard. He's a smart man, very sharp and quick-witted. He acts a fool... I think that's where Maxwell picked it up... But his knowledge of things would surly kill if using it as a physical weapon was optional. For some reason, maybe it's just his sense of humor... the "Old Man" likes to play tricks on Maxwell to see him railed up... to "get his feathers ruffled" as Howard puts it.

I shrug. While it's nice information to know and use later, it's not what I had wanted to know at that point in time. Needless to say, we worked together after getting over the whole "stealing parts from his Deathscythe" and then arguing over just whose Gundam it was anyways...

Honestly. You have Maxwell threatening me over it, how it's "his baby" and then turn around to find the Old Man is doing the exact same thing!

I'll never understand those two; then again, perhaps I'm not meant to... Whichever the balls thrown, doesn't bother me.

The Old Man and I came up with a grand idea that has yet to fail me... Rather, I shake my head, "Us"... when we get together and decide Maxwell needs to "loosen up". I know that sounds oddly frightening coming from someone like me... Again I shrug. No one truly knows me, so it doesn't matter either. What does, is that Old Man and I have fun - actual fun! - while doing this..

You see... we've developed the smallest speaker known to man.

A remote speaker, mind you. One that needs no wires attached to it; though having them attached would grant a greater quality of sound, however that's not something we're really worried with while annoying Maxwell.

They're small, about the size of two fingernails put together, can blend in with nearly anything around them, easy to hide, and hard as hell to find.

This is what we were aiming for.

An additional plus to this small speaker would be that they're only loud enough for a person to hear; they don't echo down hallways or play loud enough to fill a room completely. Meaning, you wouldn't be able to clearly hear it from the other side of a room... You'd get the notion stuck in your head that you're hearing something, but not actually be able to prove if you were or not...

Believe me... it's very infuriating. Almost as much as being in one room is and thinking you hear someone speaking in another room... you get up and walk over to see if in fact someone was talking in that room... Only to find that no one is there and it was a small buzzing sound coming from a clock or some type of alarm that you were hearing, making you believe it was a person's voice.

Nearly ashamed to admit it out loud... but this is something that has happened to me many a time while in one safe housing or another...

I let my defenses down ever so slightly while we're all together... it makes me feel... a tickling sense of being, safe, to have all of us together in one place... It's oddly comforting (something that does not happen much to me) to know that I'm allowed to "relax" a little when we're all together, because everyone is watching out for the others back.

Hai. I do know what "teamwork" and "comrades" mean, despite my "lone wolf" tendencies.

Yet I digress... To make a long story short... Old Man and I developed small remote controlled speakers to hide in certain places of Maxwell's room... and around the house we'd be staying in... mostly in the rooms Maxwell frequented.

He (Maxwell) would enter a room, Old Man or I would switch on one of the speakers while speaking to someone else. Maxwell would then turn trying to find where the music was coming from, curious to whom would listen to whichever type we played that day... Then annoyance would start to grow once he realized the song was being repeated over again, and again... Even more so when Old Man or I would switch that one speaker off and turn another on... causing Maxwell to turn directions and wonder into another part of the house.

The most amusing times of playing this cat and mouse game, has to be when we fiddle with the speakers set about Maxwell's bedroom. Just to watch him storming from one side to the other, one corner to another, cursing - is well worth it!

Sadly (depending how you look at such a situation) Maxwell has yet to figure out what he's being played to.

Stopping the memories before they can really get started... I do not understand why they run away with my mind at times such as these... I glance out the window while shuffling to a randomly book marked site and notice that we have... eccentric... neighbors, at this safe house location...

There is a man, crouched on the sidewalk over our lawn, poking through the blades of grass with a... I squint my eyes trying to see him better... it's late in the day and I'm not truly concentrating too hard on anything - it's rather hot... A toothpick!

The shoki de nai baka!1 What the hell is he doing shifting through our yard with a damn toothpick? Searching for midget ants?

I know my eyes must be slight wider then normal because Barton just passed through casting me a strange look... But he didn't look outside to see this... oddball poking at our grass with a damned toothpick! What is he? A vegetarian? He think we grow mini veggies out there or something and just hide them from the rest of the world?

Sure would be easy packing... have to give it there... Hn.

"HEY!" Maxwell's loud voice reaches my ears, snapping me from my amusing, though admittedly odd, thoughts. "Has anyone seen Hii-chan?"

What in Kami's good name is it with Maxwell and these absurd nicknames for everyone?

Truly, I'm ready to rally together with Chang and paint his being black, blue and hot pink, with little messages in black marker stating his love for Relena... yesh.

"Duo...?" Winner's soft voice is filled with curiousness. Mine would be too if I wanted to ask what he wanted with me. But then, I don't go looking for myself so that would be sort of redundant.

"Is Hiiro in here?" Maxwell wasn't in the mood to play. Pity. I was ready to turn K34 on and see what his reaction would be to _that_ song. Snicker.

"As you can see, Maxwell" Everyone loves Chang, "he is not present in this particular room. Might you have better luck searching another room?" Such eloquent sarcasm is in need of applause. However if I did such, I'd give my position away and I can't have that.

Quietly detaching my laptop from the wall, throwing a last apprehensive look to the man outside, I gather my meager belongings before clicking on my own version of stealth and sneaking into another room...

This one's been invaded...

_-- -- -- --_

_Meanwhile in the Kitchen..._

"HEY!... Has anyone seen Hii-chan?"

"Duo...?" Quatre watched his American with curiousness shinning in aqua eyes. Why was he searching for Hiiro... again? Many a time over the last month he had been trying to find the Japanese pilot and when Hiiro Yui did not wish to be found... you just didn't find him. Even in a safe house of this medium size; which they were all sure never let a Yui leave without their knowing of it.

The old saying of a "needle in a haystack" came to mind.

Hiiro could be right in front of you in a room full of people and things - yet you still would not be able to find him, unless he wanted you to. And at the moment, it seemed as if the poor Japanese boy was hiding from Duo.

"Is Hiiro in here?" Duo ignored the blonde casting a quick smirk at him before looking around closer at the things around him. No Hiiro... yet.

"As you can see, Maxwell... He is not present in this particular room. Might you have better luck searching another room?"

Shaking his head Duo glared playfully at his Chinese friend sitting on his lover's knee. "Funny Chang... real funny..." It was true though, Duo sighed; Hiiro was not in this room. Quick strides took him to the living room's entrance. Looking around revealed it empty. "Damn it!" He knew it. Just knew it! Hiiro was behind whatever the hell was going on here!

"What's bothering you Duo?" Trowa's soft voice broke his mental cursings.

"HIIRO IS!"

Why couldn't they get that? Hiiro was bothering him! He didn't have any bloody proof... not really... just his keen sense of mind and knowing that Hiiro's avoiding him wasn't just 'cause he was sick and didn't want to share the germs with him; as friendly as that thought might be to some.

There were voices... music... Shit he couldn't explain for anything in the world but that there were speakers hidden somewhere in this room that he couldn't find. It was stupid really. Why would Hiiro want to do something like that to him? Annoying him as revenge was a sure thing. Duo could handle that...

But for a frillin' month! Bull shit!

He felt like laughing at it.

However, there was one song that would not leave him the hell alone. All damn day... wherever he went, it was playing... Just loud enough so that he could hear it... so it was lodged into his memory and mind... Just loud enough so that even when it wasn't playing audibly 'outside', it was playing inside his mind!

He could still hear it playing in his head... Damnit it to Thanatos it was driving him insane! He swore on Hades' name he was going to get the little Japanese shit for this... Mark his words... Duo would grant the Wing pilot one thing. The song was mostly instrumental and damn catchy... But unlike all the other times... the song never changed. It kept playing... and playing... and playing...

On his computer, his laptop, showed up the Window's Media Player with some clips played to the song... What nearly had him shitting his pants was it had the Gundams on it!

Now Duo wasn't playing it up to being as 'sharp' as his other classmates (he wasn't stupid though), but someone having film of the Gundams fighting was just... That was fucked up! Duo was sure his friend had already searched the 'Net, tracked down all files and kept that one for himself... just to annoy the braided boy with...

Yup. That had to be it... Even if the gundams in the vid looked computer generated... Hell... Maybe Hiiro had made the damn thing himself...

Didn't matter though... the lines... the damn lines! Kept playing out in his head... _"All your base... all your base... all your base belong to us..."_

GEH! Someone shoot him!

"Duo?"

"You know Cat" turning to face his love, Duo smiled lopsidedly, "I think Hiiro's fever is really starting to get to him..."

He did feel bad... Somehow the perfect guy had caught the flu... Little did any of them know that Hiiro and being sick, did not go hand in hand... Being sick to Hiiro Yui seemed to have the side effect of kicking down his shields and letting the 'child' they always knew was hidden away in there - out to play.

"Aww, he likes you Maxwell!"

"I DON'T CARE!" the American bellowed mildly shocked, wide violet eyes staring at the seated duo. Feeling arms wrap around his chest calmed him, however. "I like him too, OK? He's my friend! But gauh!" _The damn songs!_ "Besides..." he started after a moments pause, "I think he has a crush on the both of you anyways."

At this statement eyebrows rose.

"Us?" The silent 'As in, us, us?' was clearly heard to the American and Arabian.

"Yes, you Fei-fei, Tro-man. Haven't ya ever even noticed how Hii-chan's always acting around y'all?"

_They couldn't be that thick, could they?_

Both heads shook in the negative. Duo however, was sure he saw some sort of light kick on upstairs in the long uni-banged boys mind, his head tilting slight towards their Chinese Dragons.

"Che! You guys!"

_How could you?_ Stuttering in an open mouthed stupor for several minutes, feeling the arms about his chest slip to his waist, a weight landing on his shoulder; Duo firmly shook his head, all thoughts of the Asian boy's musical escapades forgotten in light of two peoples' thick headedness.

_I wonder to where Hiiro's managed to hide himself now?_ Quatre mused, watching as his love did an impeccable imitation of a Suckerfish.

The notion of Hiiro liking both Barton and Chang had not absolutly gone unnoticed in the group but for the two liked, it seemed. You had to know unguessingly that Quatre knew because he held the family gift (or curse depending your outlook) of being Empathic. He could _feel_ the threads reaching out from Hiiro and tickling the senses of the other two pilots. They seemed at times confused as to what was going on; glancing about the room they were in as if someone were talking to them, but seeing no one.

This to the Arabian was amusing, because he could _feel_ at those times, Hiiro's mind reaching out (subconsciously he thought) towards the others with thoughts; but none seemed to notice this. Quatre as with his love, also observed the times when the Japanese man would walk into a room, ignoring all else and send glances towards the two oblivious men; frown shaking his head, and walk out again.

That was not amusing.

No one liked to see a friend, loved one, hurting. Neither did Quatre.

He couldn't say for certain if the Asian was truly hurting, but Quatre knew it couldn't be at all pleasing to see Barton and Chang together and knowing that he him self, felt something towards the two and had no chance at them. Of course, the Arabian knew also that Hiiro hadn't reached out enough, given any clue to the other two that he was interested in them - so in essence; there was no 'chance' there to be had.

It had to pain him though, to see them together and think that there wasn't any to be had.

_"-...When I rode out of Dallas, chasing down a dream... Thought I knew what I was lookin' for...But the neon lights have blinded me, 'til I was lost in Tennessee... Not sure I know, who I am, anymore... But there's a girl in Texas... There's a girl in Texas... There's a girl in Texas that does...-"_

Letting out a near silent groan glaring toward every wall surrounding him, Duo's hands fisted. _Damnit! Hiiro was doing it again!_ The song was low, very low. So near silent that only he, and by the stiffening of his lover, Quatre heard it as well. _Maybe now he'll know I wasn't imagining things all this time!_

If the smaller blonde noticed the music, to the American's dismay, Quatre didn't let on about it. His head swiveled side-to-side, eyes scanning, but his mouth didn't so much open to ask what it was with the music playing almost nearly silent. Quatre knew darn well that when music was played by either of the guys, it was heard, and by Duo then it was obnoxiously loud. 

It was his own damn fault for hoping anyone other then he had heard the music. Why no one had heard it in the last month, why now? Hades forbid him any sense of sanity being left living with this group! 

Giving up for the moment, letting his head drop and loll to the side leaning again his lovers. Duo smiled secretly, watching from under his bangs as the two liked people left the room on silent feet, mouths parting and closing in butterfly wing whispers. Fiery chestnut swayed back and fourth as it's owner shook his head in amused amazement. How they had yet to notice, or really turn open eyes to Hiiro's quiet tactful ways of affection was something the American was sure he'd never learn. 

_Poor Hii-chan..._

"Speaking of which..." was said aloud, head lifting to look about, "Where the hell is Hiiro anyway?" The little crap had to've ran through the room sometime in the last twenty minutes. No way in Hell could he've moved from one room to the other without passing through here. Which meant... 

"Hey! You said you hadn't seen Hii-chan!" 

Stepping away from the finger pointing into his face, eyes gone cross eyed to try seeing it, Quatre looked up and smirked at the shocked look in those lovely violet eyes. "Oh but Duo love," he purred moving closer, hands lifting to rub against the American's sides, "I haven't seen Hiiro." 

Lifting hands with the intent to push the others away, lilac eyes burned into aqua. The mystery of how eyes looking so innocent could be long to someone who was... shiver... doing _that_ while looking so damn pure totally escaped Duo's mind. Along with the issue of a music playing fever-mad Japanese young man who was... somewhere in the... _Ohhh Cat..._ house and doing Hades knew what! 

Quatre's smirk shifted ever so much, morphing into the devilish one his cute American was known to wear when something mischievous had come to mind; as one pale peach hand lifted from playing at Duo's waistline to trail up his stomach, to chest, tweaking one pebble hard nipple. 

They were alone now, weren't they? He was always _soo_ very good at taking his lover's mind off a bothering issue... And Hiiro was at present being a very bothering issue. Troubling as it was to have their Japanese brother running around with the flu, acting like a child at some points throughout the three weeks he's had it... Quatre just couldn't seem to pull himself away from playing oh so sweetly with the two small nubs before him, his hip swaying to and fro, his braided man's mimicking his own drawing out a low groan from the Arabian. 

No, Quatre just couldn't see how Hiiro was causing his love so much mental augmenting when he was being pushed up against a wall, such firm, lush lips bowling down onto his own in a demanding kiss. No. It was certainly too much trouble to try thinking with... _Oh yes, right there!..._ other distracting actions going on about him. 

_"-ha ha, Well now. We call this the act of mating...-"_

Duo's head jerked back so quickly at the chuckling voice, it almost had a very unpleasant introduction with the wall's cornered neighbor. Likewise did the short man's eyes widen to comical size. The sudden voice coming from... somewhere had the mental picture of a chibi Duo streaking nude through his mind yelling, _"We've been caught! Run!"_ And indeed did Quatre's tiny stomach have the fluttering of butterflies wishing to flee. Strong will and nerves had him staying secure in his lover's arms, refusing to jump apart as if they were only fourteen and being caught by a roller pin-wielding mother. 

Quickly lifting his head locking gazes with those of startled violet's, silently asking _"What in blue blazes was that?"_ He was met with a shrug and eyes clearing as it something was just starting to dawn on the American; as if he knew damn well what the voice was and was on the verge of not answering because he'd been complaining for a month about "voices" and "music he couldn't find", with no one paying him no mind. 

_"-But, there are several other very important differences between Human beings and Animals that you should know about...-"_

_There was a god!_ Duo mentally sighed; one he swore could've been heard in the world around him. But, as most things tend to happen... he spoke too soon. Alas it was only the songs beginning and he had no choice but to listen as the song came into a short thumping pause, before the onslaught slammed into the poor American's sensitive ears. 

At least, he thought, _I'm not the only one hearing it this time!_

_"-Sweat baby, sweat baby, Sex is a Texas drought... Me and you do the stuff that only Prince would sing about...-"_

_'Prince?'_ Quatre mouthed confused and somewhat amused, though still shaken about the interruption. 

Duo shrugged. Hell if he knew! It wasn't his type of song! 

_"-So put your hands down my pants and I'll bet you'll feel nuts... Yes I'm Siskel, yes I'm Ebert and you're getting two thumbs up...-"_

Like hot wax had been poured over his sweating palm, Quatre's one hand shot out from the American's jeans in record time while involuntarily yelping and leaping back. 

In front of him, his lover laughed, smiling wide. 

_"-...You've had enough of the two-hand touch...-"_

Quatre groaned at the lyrics, hand lowering 'til chin touched his chest. So Duo hadn't been wrong when he said there was music playing from _"the walls with no jacks!"_ Allah that was near frightening! Hiiro surely had to be around someplace watching them... How else would he have known what song to play...? Or did he even pick them? 

_"-You want it rough you're out of bounds... I want you smothered, Want you covered like my Waffle House hash browns...-"_

_Not a bad idea_, Duo chuckled moving up to embrace his shaken Arabian and grinned. Tracking the Japanese down now didn't seem to be such a bad thing if he could get a copy of this song from him. 

_"-Come quicker then Fed-Ex, Never reach an apex like Coca-Cola stock you are inclined, To make me rise an hour early just like Daylight Savings Time...-"_

"Duo!" 

"What?" Innocent grin. 

Hands swatted his away. "Stop trying to get into my pants!" Face blushing a scarlet red. 

_"-...(Do it now) You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals, So lets to it like they do on the Discovery Channel...-"_

The next lyric had himself coloring slightly, roughened hands reaching out to pull Quatre back to him. "Why not? You were a minute ago! Sides" voice dropping to a husky growl, "We're alooonnneee..." 

_"-(Do it again now) You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals, So lets do it like they do on the Discovery Channel... (Gettin' horny now)...-"_

Squirming within the much loved, needed, and starting to become overly hot embrace; Quatre fumbled for an adequate reason as to why they shouldn't resume what had been broken off by the interrupting song. One: they had the others not one room over from them. Two: Hiiro was somewhere running around the house... and Third: their third love should be home anytime now. 

OZ kept such unbecoming hours! 

"Alone in your own World maybe, Maxwell. In the house is another matter altogether." Chang's amused voice spoke up from behind them causing the engrossed couple to jump near foot in the air spinning to see a grinning Dragon cuddled into the protective circling of his love's arms. 

"Fei-babe!" 

Trowa's slight smiling lips parted softly speaking in teasing tones, "He's taken Duo." 

Quatre's eyes widened, "Trowa!" arms wanting to reach out slapping the other for even thinking Duo to leave him! Well, Allah beloved, he couldn't help it! The Latin man was only teasing, and anything that got him opening up more and more was damn great in his books. 

_"-...Love the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket, Like the lost catacombs of Egypt only God knows where we stuck it... Hieroglyphics? Let me be Pacific, I wanna be down in your South Seas... But I got this notion that the motion of your ocean means "Small Craft Advisory"...-"_

The entire room groaned if that were at all possible; people and house, as the lyrics kept on advancing very... suggestively. Neither couple could honestly say with clean minds and, well, beings... that the song didn't sing what their minds ran circles around doing when alone. But! This was not going to conquer their strong wills and set minds to find their fevered, ill, little friend before he didn't something else unbelievable. 

Like hotwiring the toilet so when it was flushed the microwave dinged "Beethoven's 5th" and the TV switched to the Sanq Peace Network. Or wiring the remotes so when one TV was switched on the other two in the house switched channels and the volumes went haywire. 

Or like the last time where Wufei had innocently walked into a room turning the overhead light on and had a vicious sounding roar come from the hall closet causing poor little Quatre who had been walking past said closet, to give a frightened yell while simultaneously jumping three feet into the air. Only to come down crashing into Trowa who had been walking by, arms loaded with high-stacked towels for the bathroom. 

Both tumbled to the floor a mess of limbs. 

On later inspection, it was noted that the light had somehow managed, when turned on, to act as a remote to the vacuum cleaner - which was the "monster" that had growled so menacingly at the frightened Arabian. 

Three weeks after the "Closet Monster Ambush", Quatre would still not touch the innocent vacuum cleaner. 

_-- -- -- --_

_An hour and some minutes, whole house searched and an indefinite number of switched songs later..._

"Found him yet?" 

"Does it look like I've found him?" the reply brought with arms spreading wide, showing off dust-covered clothes. Testament to the young man's rooting around upstairs in the attic for they're mysteriously missing, sick, comrade. 

Nervous chuckle, "Sorry Duo." 

The boys have spent all of the last hour or so searching the house for their missing friend. It was, in fact, not a very big house and had not taken long to go over all rooms, doors, windows and other such hiding places. 

They've yet to find the missing sick boy, Hiiro Yui. It was unnerving that the young man - though greatly ill with a bad case of the flu - was able to shirk their capturing attempts. 

Duo Maxwell, in a last futile endeavor of locating his annoying ill friend, had climbed rickety stairs, worrying for his life - to search the attic landing. Of course the thought running through his mind at the time was something akin to: _I wouldn't give my 'Sythe to hide up here; why the hell would Hii-chan?_, while dusting creepy, clinging, bunnies from his clothing. 

The question, if Hiiro had been in his right non-ill mind, might have had some sort of ground foundation to it. The Japanese on a bad day would rather hide out in a girl's room decked in pink then hide in their old, musty, overly dusty-in-need-of-a-badass-cleaning attic. But on the other hand, we had one Hiiro Yui who was _not_ in his right mind, and therefore, might've decided to take the scary, frighteningly freakish chance of hiding in the attic to defuse his pursuers. 

After searching had proved his possible life giving threat, to be in vain. Hiiro Yui was not hiding in the dusty landing. _So just where in the flyin' fuck was he?_

Poor boy, Duo was all at his wits end trying to find his cute companion. He might have proved to be an equally annoying match for the American, while sick... However Duo was seriously starting to think something had happened to him. 

Perhaps Hiiro had passed out somewhere from his sickness (finally!) and needed help? Maybe he got hit trying to cross the street while fleeing and no one knew who to contact to let them know? Maybe OZ had them and weren't making it known just to annoy them further? 

No, no. That was immediately shot down as _"most likely to happen when Hell freezes over"._

Oh where, oh where, had their little Hiiro gone? Oh where, oh where could he be? And why the blazing shits was his mind going AWOL on him? Maybe he seriously needed to get laid... 

Duo nodded at this thought. All the stress of searching for his friend, the past unfair month (though he'd never admit it had been funny in the beginning) of 'Hiiro Tormenting the American' had finally caught up to him and the only likely (and ohhh so pleasing!) way to rid the tension was a good, honest to god, rump in the bed with his lovers. Yes. Oh wouldn't that definitely hit the spot? That was what he wanted! 

Of course... just when one gets engrossed in his very vivid planning and plotting of seductions - the little speakers no one had been able to find - decides to spit out another groan-electing song. Whether it was a groan for the song adding to his imaginative planning, or a pained groan for the choice of song, Duo didn't know. Didn't, in fact, give a damn. 

_"-...Do you think that I can get some, chickie chickie... Maybe gets a little finga, sticky sticky... You my electrical lip balm flava, I gotta do ya until the next song saves ya...-"_

"Oh Goddamn it!" 

"Duo!" Came Quatre's shocked voice, eyes staring at the other teen. Hardly did the American swear like that. Not that it bothered anyone in the house, actually, it was just... a bit shocking for some reason after the day they've had. 

"It's alright, Winner." 

"Yeah, yeah..." sigh, "Where in Allah's name is Hiiro?" Was he alright? Did something happen to him? What else could the Japanese man have gotten into while they were away in different rooms searching for his thinking-he's-funny-ass? 

Quatre would never be one to say it, under the same light as his lover, but the events of the last month had been amusing. Everyone thought so; they only retained from saying such in light of Duo's distress and Hiiro's childish antics. 

If nothing more came from their Japanese's being sick - then they could never again tease him about not being Human. Hiiro Yui was _very much_ as human as the rest of them - if not more so, he was just overly talented in hiding each notion, hint, of his bearing such a trait. 

_Treize should be home soon..._

Sudden thought popping into his head at a time like this stopped the blonde in his tracks. Why did this little piece of information decide to make itself known now? When they had a decidedly ill comrade to find and help... 

_Seriously,_ Quatre's aqua eyes grew deeper in color with worry, _something's wrong with Heero..._ he just knew it. Whether it may just be his temperature rising, having an over inflated headache from his sinus' or the like, the small Arabian didn't know; but something felt amiss. 

He normally wasn't one to think of luck and 'lucky stars', it was Duo's saying, but, twenty minutes later when there was an echoing of the front door slamming and the melodiously tired vocals of "I'm hoome!" floating though the air. 

That's just what our little Arabian did. 

"Thank Allah, Treize! It's about damned time!" Quatre's worry meter was rising with every minute Hiiro wasn't found. He knew the poor boy had the flu - a very bad strand, it seemed - but he didn't appear anywhere in the house! Sick or not, even Hiiro Yui didn't stay out of sight this long, not from them he didn't... 

_Then again,_ his voice chided, _he was sick... and acting extremely out of character._

"Oh? And pray tell, what, exactly, has happened to get you all riled up?" 

Duo took this as his cue. 

"Oh, wouldn't you just _love_ to know?" 

And so the next seeming two hours (with Duo's method of speaking only an actual mere half hour) were spent filling in the OZ General on just what had been occurring in one small, out of the way safe house in south Texarkana. 

-- -- -- 

It was starting to get warm again. 

I wipe some gathering sweat from my brow frowning. 

Thinking to have a talk with Winner over his love of the Desert and what it does to the other occupants of the house when it's already climbing the upper 90s outside, was starting to look like a good idea the more and more I think about it. Having to dodge the Kicked Puppy Dog looks could hardly compare when one is trying to keep himself from melting inside the house where it's supposed to be COOL! 

Freaking Ares on rice man! It was sweltering in here! Weren't normal houses (overlooking that our miniature macho group is anything but normal) usually kept within the 69-74 degree area? 

Well, I'm sorry, but it feels like 85. 

Sighing, looking over towards the window near me I feel a faint quiver take my shoulders and wonder how much longer this will continue on? It's been what... a month now, nearly? Was it normal for a person to be sick this long? 

Oh well, at least I'm learning to have fun while I am. 

A cheesy grin crosses my face as I flip through the Anime section of MP3s. 

I didn't know I had half of these... Wow... 

_Tenchi Muyo?_ I've never seen that anime before, the song names sounded interesting however to warrant their download. 

'Dimension of Love' - oh yes, I can see Maxwell pulling his braid on this one. Winner bobbing his head and smiling; the others smirking or holding confused gazes perhaps. All were good songs, but none added up to the effect I wanted to pull now. 

_Night Walker_ had a really good neat sounding opening. I could play this one... Yet the translated lyrics into English just... completely lost the 'cool' effect the Japanese version had. Everyone knew how to speak and understand Japanese (that goes without saying), I don't want any of them putting even more thought into my mental state. 

Michael Jackson! 

Now _there's_ a man of frightening stature. If you wanted to freak anyone out, especially an American, play Michael Jackson songs. 'Thriller' will always be a favorite of mine. Though 'Smooth Criminal' would fit how I'm feeling at the moment. Look at everything I've gotten away with so far lately? I've been mean and green and still finding ways to tick Maxwell off. 

Doing pretty good if you ask me. 

Then again, I'm new at this sort of thing myself. So I could be making a major wrong in assuming how well I'm doing for pranking another human being. I should ask Duo this. But to do such would be to give up my location... 

Such is not permitted. 

From what I've been able to hear (hiding where I am) everyone is currently searching for me. Maxwell, Winner, Chang and Barton. I believe Khushrenada just arrived as well now? 

Looking over and down I nod. 

Hai. That was his truck sitting in the driveway towards the back. Always one careful to keep things better not known from view; why not simply park up front and come in through the front door? Was he trying to hide the fact he's here? I'm having trouble deciding this. It's hot out here... As many times as Khushrenada's been visiting, you would think half the neighborhood knows by now... except there's really no neighborhood out in the middle of nowhere, practically. 

Why try hiding where he's at anyway? What was the point? OZ soldiers would never think to overthrow their 'Lord' and 'Master'. I snort thinking of an old spacer movie Maxwell made me watch once a long while back... Besides, wasn't it a sure bet that Zechs 'I'm Treize's Bitch' Merquise, knew where Khushrenada was at? More importantly what he was doing? 

I smirk at this. 

It's funny wondering that Zechs has to be sitting around muttering to himself about Generals that don't know when "crossing the line" is exceeding the saying. Better yet! I can picture Merquise pacing around his rooms, or the hallways grumbling, muttering and cursing every few feet; hair flying behind him like some estranged demons on his tail, threatening to chop it all off. Can picture Noin watching him with an amused quirked brow. Picture her getting overly annoyed with him as well, taking the saber always kept at her side and whapping him over the head with it. 

Yes. It was amusing; disturbing; and oh-so-very-much odd when you look upon of who's thinking this crap up. ; 

I've been hanging around Maxwell for far too long. 

Sadly, it doesn't seem as if it'll end any time soon. 

It's very warm now... 

Stretching my arms high above and giving my legs a kick out, I listen as bones pop and crack; enjoy the small tingle that goes down my spine. 

In short: I feel like a very contented kitten lying in a good patch of warm sunlight. 

I think... I'll go... take a little... yawn... nap now... 

-- -- -- 

Duo spoke... and spoke... and spoke... and... by all that's Holy, stopped. 

Treize stared, blinking a few moments in the lapse of silence. 

_How very... detailed._

The thought made him inwardly smirk. Now if they (OZ) were only able to get either of the young men to be that talkative when holding them captured, this war could very well start to move in some direction; one either dictated by Treize's visions, or one not beheld by any of them. At this moment in time, either one would have been greatly appreciated. 

The current standstill was causing some groups of soldiers to go stir crazy on their bases. They were on high alert - though for what was unknown. Even so, some bases have seen fit to organize baseball, football - even Hockey! where colder climates allowed for it- teams among their selves. 

Inner competition was never something Treize frowned upon, encouraged it, quite honestly... Yet the thought that this might be taking it a bit too far, had indeed crossed his mind a time or two. However, regardless of how bizarre it was to perform base inspections only to find on passing one of said types of sports playing field; Treize much preferred his soldiers keeping active then going crazy from inactive boredom. 

Shaking his head slightly, returning to the present, he realized that all young men, soldiers of higher caliber then nearly all his own (three in exception), were watching him, waiting for some sort of response. 

Giving them a small smile the OZ General decided that passing up pondering on how any of this - them being together in any fashion - has come to be, would last for another time. As he understood it and knew, for a while now, one soldier was currently ill from a server strain of the flu. 

Currently ill member of the Gundam team with the server strain of the flu virus: was missing. His own team members could not find him. Amazing. _The extent of 01's talents never fails to thrill my sense of challenge. His skills of being able to piss off a certain someone is merely a side bonus._

What was previously not known about Wing Zero's pilot's immune system (by anyone, even his Doctor) however, was that when Hiiro Yui becomes sick; his Inner Child (as they have come to call it) gets released onto the world. 

Hiiro Yui's 'Inner Child' was enough to match Duo Maxwell at his best... And that was saying something. 

Shaking his head and standing up Treize declared that they should try looking for Hiiro once more. "He is on the premises" words ringing strong and firm, assuring the others that this time, Hiiro would be found; all they needed was another head, not clouded by frustration and worry. 

Treize, despite being on different 'sides' has found himself caring for the young warriors fondly. Whether his 'side' or theirs, won this war, it would matter little where their eccentric friendships have come to form. 

During time spent on his many bases, he was the suave, cool, elegant General of OZ: Treize Khushrenada-sama. Here, among the crazy group of rebels, he was simply Treize. No honorific, no formalities, no one trying to be pleasant with him because he was more skilled or out ranked someone else. 

Quite frankly speaking, there had been many a times when "Treize!" has been shouted out followed by a loud resounding crack, also followed by a low grunt and the stomping of angry feet carrying their owner away from the one just previously slapped. His name has been shouted and said frequently in anger, humor, shock, surprise, horror... Like any other person in the world, here, in their small safe houses, Treize was simply Treize. 

Altogether, the group let out a sigh. Whether it was from exasperation of having to search once more for Hiiro, or from wondering just when the emotionally constipated boy would be over being sick and get back to being silent and intimidating - was unknown. 

The General smirked. "Besides, is it not time for his medicine?" 

Duo perked up, "Yeah! Dude it is! But hey..." he trailed thinking that over, "We've tried it before Treize. Giving Hii-chan any sort of medicine is a pain in the ass." 

Yes it was. Wufei nodding agreeing, "I believe it is a fall back upon his training." 

"We have no idea what it was like, how many injections of 'medicine' was used to get Hiiro's body as resilient as it is today." 

The quiet comment coming from the Latin teen had not a few heads turning to him with slight widened eyes. That was true. Why had they not thought of that before? Of course Hiiro would be through with taking anything attached with the 'medicine' label to it. Regardless of it's been proven to help certain ailing conditions. It would be a subconscious reaction to any drug being suggest for his taking to 'help' in making him feel better. 

"No bloody _wonder_ he wouldn't take any of the crap we tried giving him!" 

Quatre laughed at this outburst, smirking. "Weren't you the main one bugging Hiiro to "take his damn medicine like a big boy", Duo?" 

The American flushed. That would be the other reason Hiiro was avoiding him then. 

Despite the reasoning or rhyme to why the Japanese lad refused to take his medicine like a "big boy" Treize thought he had a very good idea on how to get him to take it. He was very proud for this fact. If it had not been for some of the soldiers on base with children of their own, the General probably would never have thought about it to begin with. 

"Lets start searching outside then," Trowa's long legs moved him quickly towards the front door, "The one place we have yet to look, is surely where he's hiding." 

"Why's that?" Duo wanted to know. After all. Why the hell had he just been searching the dustier then Hades' basement, when he could've been running around outside looking for the sick idiot? 

"Because it's cooler out there" was the simply reply. 

And so, like good little boys, they all followed the leader out into the sunny warm afternoon sun, outside where there was a refreshing breeze cooling all the sun touched down. 

Once more, the search was on. 

And unlike before, they had a plan. Well, technically, Treize had a plan, but he was hoarding them all outside, so one way or another it involved them all. Surely this type of strategy from the OZ General would grant them the capture and housing rites of one Hiiro Yui... hopefully. 

What had the General found which would work on the elusive Hiiro Yui, when all they had tried failed? 

Liquids, pills, gels, food stuffed with meds, drinks... All for naught. They had even tried luring Hiiro out with using his weakness of certain foods! Well! Let me say it certainly brought the little bugger out, but he didn't stick around to have gross meds forced down his slim throat, that much was certain! 

Sharp blues scanned the area around them: the backyard. 

Somewhere out here was a wild haired young man nearing his twenties, hiding from his friends like a fugitive on the run. _Quite accurate, really._ Refusing to be seen and captured, most in part due to the fun he was having tormenting one Duo Maxwell, and another part for the childish 'fear' of what Duo would do once those golden hands got a hold of the Japanese man-child. 

Treize smirked, turning full circle. 

What his curious nature had come to enlighten him about sick children was going to prove no different for the eighteen and half year old boy. Children were susceptible to a wide verity of bribery and temptation. All of which has, to date, failed horribly on Hiiro Yui. 

This would not fail. Treize would not let it do so. Hiiro, he was counting on him, would not fail to take the bait without batting an eyelash in suspicion. Of this Treize was fairly sure. After all, he had mixed the lovely beings favorite flavor with a very simple and honest treat that happened to be dosed with the correct measurement of medicine required to calm him down and knock him out, allowing Hiiro's poor body the much needed resting time to recover. 

...They merely had to find him for it to start... 

"Hiiro!" Quatre's sweet voice called out searching. 

"Yu-bear! Time to come t-oph!" glaring over the other direction from that of his yelling Duo silently cursed the pony tailed dude, who finished his yelling. "-come inside!" dark onyx eyes stared back as if asking 'Are you stupid? Or simply that short on memory?' before turning around and continuing his search for the lost Asian. 

Curious eyes popped open some distance from them, watching. 

_Time to go inside?_ But that meant that it was either supper time (which he wasn't hungry any how, thank you very much) or that it was bathing and bedtime; two things he wasn't really quite ready to do. He wasn't sleepy (ignore the yawn) and he wasn't dirty... much... 

Dark azure eyes like an endless abyss kept his beautiful orbs fastened onto one figure among the crowd. 

He was holding something. Some thing that was small, shaped oddly, and an off white color. This man did not appear as if getting the rebelling pilot into the house was a major issue. He was calm, relaxed, content to be standing in the middle of a yard with an object in hand that was obviously not for himself. 

Head tilting to the side in thought, wondering what it could be - why it held his attention this much - Hiiro waited, patiently ignoring his housemates in order to study this taller male a bit more. 

Eyeing the candy in hand, the alto German gave a small smile deciding it was better to see if his plan would work or not. It was best to do it now opposed to later, seeing as how the others were getting a bit antsy. 

"Yui, I have a surprise for you if you come out of hiding." 

Silence. 

Keen eyes stayed glued to the small thing on a stick, now being held away from the others body. 

A lollypop! And that color... 

Hiiro's mouth started to water in anticipated suspicion. 

"Its your favorite..." Quatre and Duo stared in surprised amusement as the elegant man's voice took on a wheedling, teasing lilt. That tone was only ever heard when the man brought Maria over to visit. 

It was a wonder the three sides were still fighting at all with how the main players all knew each other so well. 

The wars would nearly be over if they decided to just stop fighting altogether. Or in the very least say they would attack Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; the Gundams on Tuesdays and Wednesdays - Saturdays and Sundays were everyone's days off. 

Duo shrugged. Go figure. 

His favorite...? 

Once more, that angelic face only a child could possess in their most curious state, tilted to the side in rapid thinking. 

His favorite, favorite? 

The bestest favorite he knew of? 

That sort of 'his favorite' that nothing stood in his way of getting? 

Ohhh... his precious favorite... 

Eyes turned glassy from fever started shining anew with the light of conquest just in reach. He would get his favorite even if it meant coming out of hiding and ending his hilarious torture of Maxwell. 

His precious favorite was being offered... The one thing he could never turn down. Ever. For a split second Hiiro let his mind wonder on why the other pilots never picked up what his one true weakness was, and used _that_ to get him doing things they wanted instead of bugging the daylights out of him until threatening them at gunpoint was the only way to rid himself of their annoying presence. 

Settling up into a crouch, hands moving as quietly as possible so not to loose the sense of surprise he now held, Hiiro quickly stowed his laptop into the backpack he wore. Now that that was out of the way and pretty safe there, he could concentrate (a feat which took much more attention to do then it normally should have, had he not been ill) on making his appearance. 

And with this little tidbit of thought in mind. Hiiro Yui stood partway from his crouch and leaned off the tree branch he was sitting; freefalling into open nothingness. The only thought passing though his fever hazed mind being that of: _Kami-sama I hope he doesn't drop me._

"Tre--!" 

"HEY!" 

The shouts were short lived as a much louder "OMPH" came echoing from the large oak tree where Treize stood - a now very curious and child-antsy Hiiro Yui attached to his back. 

The others could only stare in shock. 

Hiiro Yui; eighteen and a half years old; pilot of the Gundam Wing Zero... was now sitting on Treize Khushrenada's back, Piggyback style. 

On instinct arms flew up and behind to secure the weight suddenly occupying his back, recognizing the method occasionally used by his lovely daughter in her more playful moods. Tilting his head to the side, eyes wishing to look into the ones now fixed onto his own with a child-like fascination and expectation from the head resting on his right shoulder, Treize gave a small smile. 

"Hello Hiiro" his voice was low and warm, taking in the fevers effects. 

"Hi Uncle Trey!" Unlike the Generals, Hiiro's voice was anything but his normal one. The other pilots would go so far as to say their Japanese friend was happy and expecting to be given the most wonderful thing in the world any child could ever want. 

Duo had a feeling it wasn't the key to the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. 

Smile to grin, ginger hair bobbed on the breeze as the man nodded to him, "How are you?" 

"I'm warm. Where's my favorite?" 

Like a child, Treize noted, Hiiro missed nothing when sweets were involved. 

"What is your favorite, Yui?" Teasing never hurt anyone. 

"Aww Uncle Trey!" The Perfect Soldier in Inner Child mode pouted. "You know its Pina Colada anything!" 

Four people in unison please... right about... 

Five... Four... Three... Two... Now! 

"PINA COLODA?" 

Hiiro, however, was intent only on his prize for showing himself before the motley crew looking outrageously stupid, staring at them like that with their mouths hanging open; to care about what they were shouting over. 

"Pina Coloda lollipop, Uncle Trey? Please?" 

"Hai, hai" releasing the hand possessing the most precious favored flavor to ever grace Hiiro Yui's taste buds, Treize handed the 'prize' over to the youngling on his back, replacing his hand. "There's your favorite Hiiro, now come along, it's time to go inside and let your body try to heal itself." Without waiting for a response he headed towards the house, leaving the others outside. 

"Yeah" couple of licks to the slight large lollipop, "that's a good idea." Hiiro could care less what the older guy wanted. He had his precious favorite now. All was well in the world. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a small voice let a short-lived whimper out at the loss of his new game being ended. 

Maybe, perhaps, if ever the chance to get sick happened again, then they could play this Fevered Hide and Seek, once more. 

Just maybe... 

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo 

1 'shoki de nai baka' - loosely translates into "crazy fool" 

Strange? Liked? Hated? Laughed your butt off in some places? Let me know! 

And yes, the dates for when this particular story was started and finished are correct. Pretty nice gap there isn't it? Oo; I have trouble believing I let something go for so long. Alas, my Muses skipped town on me for the longest frigging time.

Anyway! I hope you liked this little ditty that popped into my head so long ago. I think it's very cute. Especially the beginning with Hiiro's ill POV. :chuckles: Please let me know what you think about it! I'll get to writing on some of my other ones now. 

P.S. - If anyone's read my _From the Inside Out_ story, the second sequel-chapter as been completed and posted (everywhere I think I'm hosted at) and the third sequel-chapter is in the planning stages. 

Keep it kickin'! 

Tsuki Doriimaa 


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